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Chad M. Holt-WVDE Title I
School Improvement
Coordinator
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You have 5 minutes to work
independently
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You have 2 minutes to work with a
partner. Don’t share your
answers with other pairs.
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You have 1 minute to team up into
groups of at least four to
complete the activity.
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Family
School
Community
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Parents vary in how much they presently are involved.
Parents are concerned about their children’s success in school.
Students need multiple sources of support to succeed in school
and in life.
Schools must reach out in order to involve all families.
Some teachers and administrators are initially resistant to
increasing family involvement.
Teachers and administrators in schools and districts need
inservice, preservice, and advanced education on partnerships.
Subject-specific practices involve families in ways that directly
assist students’ learning and success.
Partnership programs are most effective if they are researchbased, customized for each community, evaluated, and
continually improved to help meet important goals for students.
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•Just about all families care about their children, want
them to succeed, and are eager to obtain better
information from schools and communities so as to
remain good partners in their children’s education.
•Just about all teachers and administrators would like
to involve families, but many do not know how to go
about building positive and productive programs and
are consequently fearful about trying.
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•Partnerships tend to decline across the grades…
•Affluent communities currently have more positive family
involvement…
•Schools in more economically depressed communities make
more contacts with families about the problems and difficulties
their children are having…
•Single parents who are employed outside the home, parents
who live far from the school, and fathers are less involved…
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What is important to know about
school, family, and community partnerships?
Not only THAT partnerships contribute
to good schools and
successful students
But also WHAT is needed in an excellent
partnership program?
and…
HOW to organize and sustain
high-quality and effective
programs of family and
community involvement.
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Results of Research
For STUDENTS
Higher grades and test scores
Better attendance
Improved behavior at home and at school
Better social skills and adjustment to school
More classes passed and credits earned
Increased enrollment in more challenging
academic programs and graduation on time
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Results of Research
For PARENTS
Stronger sense of support from school
and other parents
More awareness of student progress
and effective responses to problems
Increased self confidence about guiding
student through school
Appreciation of teachers’ work and skills
Increased feeling of ownership of school
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Results of Research
For TEACHERS
Increased respect for families’ strengths
and efforts
Increased understanding of families
goals for their children
Greater readiness to involve all families
in new ways
Use of community resources to enrich
students’ experiences
Increased satisfaction with teaching
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
1. Parenting
2. Communicating
3. Volunteering
4. Learning at Home
5. Decision Making
6. Collaborating with the Community
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THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL
SCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT
Type 1
PARENTING: Assist families in understanding child and adolescent
development, and in setting home conditions that support children
as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in
understanding families.
Type 2
COMMUNICATING: Communicate with families about school
programs and student progress through effective school-to-home
and home-to-school communications.
Type 3
VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and
schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at school
or in other locations to support students and school programs.
Type 4
LEARNING AT HOME: Involve families with their children in
learning activities at home, including homework, other curriculumrelated activities, and individual course and program decisions.
Type 5
DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in school
decisions, governance, and advocacy through PTA/PTO, school
councils, committees, action teams, and other parent organizations.
Type 6
COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Coordinate resources
and services for students, families, and the school with businesses,
agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.
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Jumping Hurdles
Part Two
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PAIR-SHARE ACTIVITY
JUMPING HURDLES
All schools face challenges in developing programs of
school, family, and community partnerships. With teamwork,
every school can solve challenges to involve more families.
With a partner near you, share ONE example of . . .
A SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITY FOR FAMILY OR COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT in your school or a school you know
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A CHALLENGE THAT AROSE in implementing the activity
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A SOLUTION TO THE CHALLENGE
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A ―NEXT STEP‖ to improve the activity even more
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Which TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT was this activity? ____
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Timer
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Skip to 8:15
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Play until 4:51
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Timer
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
1. Parenting – Basic Responsibilities of Families
Help all families establish home environments to
support children as students.
Sample practices
•Suggestions for home conditions that support learning at each
grade level.
•Workshops, videotapes, computerized telephone messages on
parenting and child rearing at teach age and grade level.
•Parent education and other courses or training for parents
•Family support programs to assist families with health, nutrition,
and other services.
•Home visits at transition points to pre-school, elementary,
middle, and high school. Neighborhood meetings to help families
understand schools and to help schools understand families.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
1. Parenting – Basic Responsibilities of Families
Help all families establish home environments to
support children as students.
Challenges
•Provide information to all families who want it or who need it,
not just to the few who can attend workshops or meetings.
•Enable families to share information with schools about culture,
background, children’s talents and needs.
•Make sure that all information for and from families is clear,
usable, and linked to children’s success in school
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
2. Communicating
Design effective forms of school-to-home
communications about school programs and
children’s progress.
Sample Practices
•Conferences with every parent at least once a year.
•Language translators to assist families as needed.
•Weekly or monthly folders of student work sent home for review
and comments.
•Parent/student pickup of report card, with conferences on
improving grades.
•Clear information on choosing schools or courses, programs,
and activities within schools.
•Clear information on all school policies, programs and reforms.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
2. Communicating
Design effective forms of school-to-home
communications about school programs and
children’s progress.
Challenges
•Review the readability, clarity, form and frequency of all memos,
notices and other print and non-print communications.
•Consider parents who do not speak English well, do not read
well, or need large type.
•Review the quality of major communications (newsletters,
report cards, conference schedules)
•Establish clear two-way channels for communications from
home to school and from school to home.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
3. Volunteering
Recruit and organize parent help and support.
Sample Practices
•School and classroom volunteer programs to help teachers,
administrators, students and other parents.
•Parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings,
resources for families.
•Annual postcard survey to identify all available talents, times
and locations of volunteers.
•Class parent, telephone tree, or other structures to provide all
families with needed information.
•Parent patrols or other activities to aid safety and operation of
school programs.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
3. Volunteering
Recruit and organize parent help and support.
Challenges
•Recruit volunteers widely so that all families know that their
time and talents are welcome.
•Make flexible schedules for volunteers, assemblies, and events
to enable parents who work to participate.
•Organize volunteer work: provide training; match time and
talent with school, teacher, and student needs; and recognize
efforts so that participants are productive.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
4. Learning at Home
Provide information and ideas to families about
how to help students at home with homework
and other curriculum-related activities, decisions,
and planning.
Sample Practices
•Information for families on skills required for students in all subjects at
each grade.
•Information on homework policies and how to monitor and discuss
schoolwork at home.
•Information on how to assist students to improve skills on various class
and school assignments.
•Regular schedule of homework that requires students to discuss and
interact with families on what they are learning in class.
•Calendars with activities for parents and students at home.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
4. Learning at Home
Provide information and ideas to families about
how to help students at home with homework
and other curriculum-related activities, decisions,
and planning.
Challenges
•Design and organize a regular schedule of interactive homework that
give students responsibility for discussing important things they are
learning.
•Coordinate family linked homework activities, if students have several
teachers.
•Involve families and their children in all-important curriculum-related
decisions.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
5. Decision Making
Include parents in school decisions, developing
parent leaders and representatives.
Sample Practices
•Active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, advisory councils or
committees.
•Independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for school reform and
improvements.
•District-level councils and committees for family and community
involvement.
•Information on school or local elections for school representatives.
•Networks to link all families with parent representatives.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
5. Decision Making
Include parents in school decisions, developing
parent leaders and representatives.
Challenges
•Include parent leaders from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other
groups in the school.
•Offer trainings to enable leaders to serve as representatives of other
families, with input from and return of information to all parents.
•Include students (along with parents) in decision-making groups.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
6. Collaborating with Community
Identify
and integrate resources and services from the
community to strengthen school programs, family
practices, and student learning and development.
Sample Practices
•Information for students and families on community health, cultural, and
recreational, social support and other programs or services.
•Information on community activities that link to learning skills and
talents, including summer programs for students.
•Service integration through partnerships involving school, civic,
counseling, cultural, health, recreation, and other agencies and
organizations and businesses.
•Service to the community by students, families, and schools.
•Participation of alumni in school programs for students.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
6. Collaborating with Community
Identify
and integrate resources and services from the
community to strengthen school programs, family
practices, and student learning and development.
Challenges
•Solve turf problems of responsibilities, funds, staff, and locations for
collaborative activities.
•Inform families of community programs for students such as mentoring,
tutoring, business partnerships.
•Assure equity of opportunities for students and families to participate in
community programs or to obtain services.
•Match community contributions with school goals, integrate child and
family services with education.
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An Inventory of Present Practices of
School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Your TABLE will be assigned ONE TYPE of involvement.
1. LOOK. With a partner, look down the list of activities for the
TYPE of involvement that you were assigned.
2. CHECK. Check the activities conducted in your
school (or schools you supervise or assist) and the grade
levels that conduct each activity.
3. REFLECT: What comes to mind as you think about the
activities for that TYPE of involvement?
4. CONTINUE. If you finish before time is up, select another
TYPE of involvement to review.
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Keys to School, Family, and Community Partnerships
FRAMEWORK OF SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT
Share ONE successful activity for each of these types of
involvement that YOU have seen in schools.
Type 1
PARENTING
Type 2
COMMUNICATING
Type 3
VOLUNTEERING
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Keys to School, Family, and Community Partnerships
FRAMEWORK OF SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT
Share ONE successful activity for each of these types of
involvement that YOU have seen in schools.
Type 4
LEARNING AT HOME
Type 5
DECISION MAKING
Type 6
COLLABORATING
WITH THE COMMUNITY
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•who
is involved
•when do they meet
•where do they meet
•determine needs
•establish goals that are measurable
•establish accountability
•prominently display the work
being done
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXAMPLES
for a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships
to IMPROVE READING ACHIEVEMENT
TYPE 1
Workshops for parents on various ways to read aloud with
young children
TYPE 2
Parent-teacher-student conferences on reading goals and
reading progress
TYPE 3
Reading-partner volunteers, guest readers of favorite stories, and other
organized, ongoing read-with-me activities
TYPE 4
Family Reading Night to demonstrate reading strategies for parents and
grade-specific activities to conduct with students at home
TYPE 5
PTA/PTO support for a family room or parent center to provide information
on children’s reading, and to conduct book swaps,
make book bags for read-at-home programs, and sponsor other reading
activities
TYPE 6
Donations from business partners of books for classrooms, for the school
library, and for children to take home
…AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXAMPLES
for a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships
to IMPROVE MATH SKILLS
TYPE 1
Workshops for parents to explain new math standards and tests, and
to demonstrate and discuss how math skills are taught to students
TYPE 2
Articles for parents in school or class newsletters or posted on the
school Web site by students and math teachers on interesting math
topics and skills
TYPE 3
Volunteer math tutors to assist students who need one-on-one tutoring
and extra help with specific math skills
TYPE 4
Weekly interactive homework assignments for students to
demonstrate mastery of a math skill for family partners and to
discuss how each skill is used in everyday situations
TYPE 5
PTA/PTO-sponsored Family Math Night for fun and learning
TYPE 6
After-school programs funded by business and community partners
to provide students with extra help and enrichment activities in math
…AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXAMPLES
for a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships
to IMPROVE STUDENT BEHAVIOR
TYPE 1
Parent-to-parent group meetings on student behavior,
age-appropriate discipline, preventing bullying, and related topics
TYPE 2
Student-of-the-month assembly, bulletin board, and luncheon
with family partners to recognize students for good or improved behavior,
character, and citizenship
TYPE 3
Volunteers for school patrols in hallways, in the cafeteria, on
the playground, or in other locations to increase or maintain students’
good behavior
TYPE 4
Monthly interactive homework assignments for students to
talk with parents or other family partners about selected
character traits, values, and behaviors
TYPE 5
PTA/PTO-sponsored speaker series for parents on student
development, with mental health, medical, and other specialists
TYPE 6
Community connections with students on problem-solving
and conflict resolution skills to reduce bullying and other
problem behaviors
…AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXAMPLES
for a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships
to CREATE A CLIMATE OF PARTNERSHIPS
TYPE 1
Low-cost immunization shots and health examinations for students to
assist parents with these school requirements
TYPE 2
Student-led parent-teacher conferences to communicate with all parents
about student progress
TYPE 3
Resource directory to identify the available time and talents of parents
and other volunteers to assist teachers and school staff throughout the
year
TYPE 4
Information for and exchanges with parents on homework policies, how
to help at home, and whom to call with questions
TYPE 5
PTA/PTO potluck dinners combined with School Improvement
Team meetings to encourage more parents to participate in
decision making
TYPE 6
“Salute the Arts” fair where community artists demonstrate
drawing and painting, music, dance, and crafts and provide
information on community-based art programs and museums
…AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT
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WORK TIME. YOUR TEAM WILL DRAFT A
ONE-YEAR ACTION PLAN FOR PARTNERSHIPS
FOR YOUR SCHOOL.
School: XYZ Elementary School
School Year: 20xx-20yy
GOAL 1—ACADEMIC
OBJECTIVE 1 – Specific academic subject:
(Select ONE curricular goal for students, such as
improving reading, math, writing, science, or other skills that the school will address in the next school year.)
Desired result(s) for THIS goal:
How will you measure
results?
Organize and schedule family and community involvement activities to support THIS goal.
ACTIVITIES
(2 or more, continuing or new)
TYPES DATES
(1-6)
OF ACTIVITIES
GRADE
LEVEL(S)
WHAT NEEDS TO PERSONS
BE DONE FOR IN CHARGE
AND
EACH ACTIVITY &
HELPING
WHEN?
ADD MORE
ACTIVITIES…
NEEDED funds, supplies, or resources
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Joyce Epstein materials
Ruby Payne materials
National PTA website
Parent Institute website
ED Parent Involvement Guidance
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•Complete an inventory of present practices of
school-family-community partnerships
•Outline a vision of how practices of
partnership will develop an improve over three
years
•Prepare a detailed one-year plan
•Evaluate school, family and community
partnerships program each year in order to
improve practices
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Epstein, Joyce, Lucretia Coates, Karen Clark
Salinas, Mavis G. Sanders and Beth S. Simon.
1997.
School, Family, and Community Partnerships:
Your Handbook for Action.
Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8039-6571-0
Approximately $45.00 paperback with CD
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AYP is based on reading/language arts and mathematics achievement objectives.
• Does the state measure achievement in reading/language arts and
mathematics separately for determining AYP?
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For accountability purposes, using the WESTEST, achievement in reading/language
arts and mathematics are measured separately for determining AYP.
District AYP is determined annually for districts.
A district is identified for improvement status only if all grade spans, elementary,
middle and high school fail to make AYP for the current year in one or more of the
student groups.
However, if at least one of the grade spans makes AYP, the district is not identified
for improvement. (Elementary, middle high school)
AYP for each grade span is calculated by considering the percent of students
proficient for the grade span compared to the established AMO for that grade
span. Confidence interval, minimum “n” size, “Safe Harbor” provision and uniform
averaging provisions apply to this calculation.
A district identified for improvement status is removed from that status if the district
makes AYP for two consecutive years or if at least one of the district’s grade spans
makes AYP for two consecutive years.
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